The former Parkhead star was joint second top scorer in his first complete season with Atlanta United but is on the move again.
Giorgos Giakoumakis of Atlanta United
Much-travelled Giorgos Giakoumakis is on the move again as the former Celtic striker closes in on a money-spinning switch to Mexican big-hitters Cruz Azul.
The former Parkhead star was equal second top scorer in his first complete season with Atlanta United but he is on the move out of Major League Soccer after only 18 months. Giakoumakis – who departed Celtic after seeing his request for a new term refused in January 2023 – is putting the finishing touches on a deal which would entail an £8m spend for Azul. And Parkhead punters – who rued the Greek international’s leave – are wondering if Giakoumakis will add to the swelling money pot in Glasgow’s east end with his agent in America to rubber-stamp his exit.
Supporters, in unison, are pondering if there is there a sell on? Celtic inserted cast-iron sell-on fees in deals for the likes of Jeremie Frimpong and Kieran Tierney but it is unknown if such a clause existed in the £3.5m fee plus 800,000 in add-ons that brought him Stateside. Cruz Azul have been attentively following a player who has played in Greece, Holland and Poland before joining Ange Postecoglou’s side in August 2021.
It’s likely to be a fresh start for a player who spoke up on the abrupt end to his Celtic career last month as he opened up on a sought wage rise that never arrived and an abortive transfer to Midtjylland. He revealed: “I said, ‘Okay, you know what? Now you have to give me what I deserve. I was waiting. And then they said no.
“At the end of the day, I was like ‘do I want to go there again with this s*** weather – maybe even worse than Glasgow?’ One year in Glasgow and I went out with my son in the park one time. That is miserable. I responded (to Midtjylland) ‘thank you, but I at least need the typical weather’ – that was the reason.
“Carlos [Bocanegra, Atlanta vice president and technical director] was the only one, the only director that flew to Glasgow just to meet me. And I really enjoyed that. They showed me straight away that, you know what, you’re incredibly important. We don’t care if you’re going to be able to sign for [us] or not, we just want to meet you.”
